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Saturday, November 24, 2007

I was lamenting the price of adjustable dress forms to my my mom (who used to be a professional seamstress) and asking if she knew any inside track ways to get more affordable dress forms. Next thing you know, she's digging around and finds an old dress form of hers that is exactly the size I need it to be! She doesn't have legs and she needed a good cleaning but free is a much better price than $189+. Hooray!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

UPDATE!This pattern is now available as a free PDF download on Ravlery.
As I mentioned back in a post from September, I submitted an original pattern to Knitty for consideration. And while I wish I could be telling you that Amy Singer e-mailed me today to tell me that she loved my apron, she didn't. Instead, she let me know that Knitty won't be publishing this pattern (she was very nice about it, though).

Perhaps I am the only person in the world who would like to own a retro-style skirt apron with cupcake pockets. However, in the event that I'm not, I'd like to share it with my knitting, cupcake-loving blog public. This is in a different format than most of my patterns appear as this in the form in which I sent it to Knitty. So without further ado....

Cupycakes

by Carissa Marie Bonham

Piquant

Inspired by retro-style skirt aprons, I decided to combine my two favorite obsessions: knitting and cupcakes. With skirt aprons, knitting and cupcakes each making a strong (not to mention sexy) comeback, this would be the perfect apron to wear while you unleash your inner domestic goddess in the kitchen this holiday season. Make it for yourself or as a gift for your favorite cupcake connoisseur.

This apron is knit in 100% acrylic yarn instead of cotton to keep it both washable and from getting too heavy.Superwash wool would be an appropriate substitute, although may be rather warm to wear in a hot kitchen.

PATTERN NOTES
The main body of the skirt is worked back and forth on one circular needle using Seed Bump Pattern (see below). Due to the large quantity of stitches picked up later, the garter stitch ruffle is worked on two circular needles.

Joining Cupcake pieces:Turn Frosting piece over and use knitting needle to pick up CC1 stitches from back of provisional CO (count to make sure you have 23 sts!). Unzip provisional CO and set aside.

Pick up the bottom portion of the cupcake set aside earlier.

Join CC1 and knit across one row

Hold the bottom and frosting pieces, wrong sides together, with the needles pointing the same direction.

Use third knitting needle to knit the first stitch on each needle together

Continue across until all stitches have been knit onto the third needle. You will have 23 sts.

Frosting Ruffle:This technique might be a little different than anything you’re used to but I think it provides the best “frosting” ruffle effect:

Hold the knitting needle with the live stitches in your left hand and the crochet hook in your right hand.

Using the crochet hook as if it were a knitting needle, knit the first stitch off of the needle.

You will now have 22 sts on your needle and 1 loop on your crochet hook.

Use crochet hook to SC three times into the base of the knit stitch.

Once again:*use crochet hook as a knitting needle to K the next st off the needle (there will be two loops on the crochet hook), wrap yarn from back to front on crochet hook and draw through two loops on crochet hook (there will now be one stitch on hook), work 2 SC into base of st*

Repeat directions between **’s until no more sts remain.

Break yarn and draw through

FINISHING

Weave in ends of cupcakes and apron.

Sew the cupcakes to the apron around their bottom portions to form pockets.

Center and sew the ribbon across the top of the waist band beginning in the center. Try on your completed apron and cut ribbon tails to a length that suits you.

I hope someone other than me enjoys this pattern. You can also find it on Ravelry here.

If you're looking for gift knitting ideas, I think this apron would make a cute "domestic goddess" gift set by pairing it with a cupcake dishcloth or two.

UPDATE!This pattern is now available as a free PDF download on Ravelry.
This was a bit of an experimental pattern. I wanted to make a Christmas tree dishcloth (square ones are so boring) but didn't have the right colors. Since my dishes don't care, I used what I had and came out with this:
Odd as it is, I think it's kind of cute. If you want a a Christmas tree dishcloth of your own, this is what you do....

I think this yarn dying business might get addictive. I LOVE how my yarn is turning out. I'm waiting for it to dry now.

It looks a lot nicer in real life. Here are the details:

Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool

Color: Twisted Denim

Dye: Wilton's food dye (the thick kind...in lilac and a bit of red)

What I did: Frogged my ugly sweater into 2 yard-circumference skeins (about 400g; 892 yards of yarn total). Soaked it in vinegar water in my crock pot for an hour. Drained the vinegar water and moved it to sink while I boiled some water. Moved one skein into ginormous metal bowl, where I poured about 2 cups of had-just-been-boiling water which I had mixed with dye over the skein and squished it around. Added another skein on top and repeated until all skeins were in the bowl.

Transferred yarn back to crock pot and turned it on high for 3.5 hours. Drained yarn and let cool in crockpot and then transferred to colander. After a few hours, I rinsed the yarn in cool water with a bit of mild soap, spun it dry in the best salad spinner ever (seriously, if you dye yarn or block a lot of your knitting, I think this would be seriously worth the investment) and it is now drying on a towel on my counter and hanging from my pot rack. My kitchen smells like a wet sheep. :-)

Friday, November 16, 2007

I have been experiencing no end to the technical difficulties in my life recently so alas my blog is one area which has been sorely neglected. But! I wanted to share with you (quickly...before my computer dies [again]) where part of my afternoon today went / is going:

Saturday, November 24, 2007

I was lamenting the price of adjustable dress forms to my my mom (who used to be a professional seamstress) and asking if she knew any inside track ways to get more affordable dress forms. Next thing you know, she's digging around and finds an old dress form of hers that is exactly the size I need it to be! She doesn't have legs and she needed a good cleaning but free is a much better price than $189+. Hooray!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

UPDATE!This pattern is now available as a free PDF download on Ravlery.
As I mentioned back in a post from September, I submitted an original pattern to Knitty for consideration. And while I wish I could be telling you that Amy Singer e-mailed me today to tell me that she loved my apron, she didn't. Instead, she let me know that Knitty won't be publishing this pattern (she was very nice about it, though).

Perhaps I am the only person in the world who would like to own a retro-style skirt apron with cupcake pockets. However, in the event that I'm not, I'd like to share it with my knitting, cupcake-loving blog public. This is in a different format than most of my patterns appear as this in the form in which I sent it to Knitty. So without further ado....

Cupycakes

by Carissa Marie Bonham

Piquant

Inspired by retro-style skirt aprons, I decided to combine my two favorite obsessions: knitting and cupcakes. With skirt aprons, knitting and cupcakes each making a strong (not to mention sexy) comeback, this would be the perfect apron to wear while you unleash your inner domestic goddess in the kitchen this holiday season. Make it for yourself or as a gift for your favorite cupcake connoisseur.

This apron is knit in 100% acrylic yarn instead of cotton to keep it both washable and from getting too heavy.Superwash wool would be an appropriate substitute, although may be rather warm to wear in a hot kitchen.

PATTERN NOTES
The main body of the skirt is worked back and forth on one circular needle using Seed Bump Pattern (see below). Due to the large quantity of stitches picked up later, the garter stitch ruffle is worked on two circular needles.

Joining Cupcake pieces:Turn Frosting piece over and use knitting needle to pick up CC1 stitches from back of provisional CO (count to make sure you have 23 sts!). Unzip provisional CO and set aside.

Pick up the bottom portion of the cupcake set aside earlier.

Join CC1 and knit across one row

Hold the bottom and frosting pieces, wrong sides together, with the needles pointing the same direction.

Use third knitting needle to knit the first stitch on each needle together

Continue across until all stitches have been knit onto the third needle. You will have 23 sts.

Frosting Ruffle:This technique might be a little different than anything you’re used to but I think it provides the best “frosting” ruffle effect:

Hold the knitting needle with the live stitches in your left hand and the crochet hook in your right hand.

Using the crochet hook as if it were a knitting needle, knit the first stitch off of the needle.

You will now have 22 sts on your needle and 1 loop on your crochet hook.

Use crochet hook to SC three times into the base of the knit stitch.

Once again:*use crochet hook as a knitting needle to K the next st off the needle (there will be two loops on the crochet hook), wrap yarn from back to front on crochet hook and draw through two loops on crochet hook (there will now be one stitch on hook), work 2 SC into base of st*

Repeat directions between **’s until no more sts remain.

Break yarn and draw through

FINISHING

Weave in ends of cupcakes and apron.

Sew the cupcakes to the apron around their bottom portions to form pockets.

Center and sew the ribbon across the top of the waist band beginning in the center. Try on your completed apron and cut ribbon tails to a length that suits you.

I hope someone other than me enjoys this pattern. You can also find it on Ravelry here.

If you're looking for gift knitting ideas, I think this apron would make a cute "domestic goddess" gift set by pairing it with a cupcake dishcloth or two.

UPDATE!This pattern is now available as a free PDF download on Ravelry.
This was a bit of an experimental pattern. I wanted to make a Christmas tree dishcloth (square ones are so boring) but didn't have the right colors. Since my dishes don't care, I used what I had and came out with this:
Odd as it is, I think it's kind of cute. If you want a a Christmas tree dishcloth of your own, this is what you do....

I think this yarn dying business might get addictive. I LOVE how my yarn is turning out. I'm waiting for it to dry now.

It looks a lot nicer in real life. Here are the details:

Yarn: Patons Classic Merino Wool

Color: Twisted Denim

Dye: Wilton's food dye (the thick kind...in lilac and a bit of red)

What I did: Frogged my ugly sweater into 2 yard-circumference skeins (about 400g; 892 yards of yarn total). Soaked it in vinegar water in my crock pot for an hour. Drained the vinegar water and moved it to sink while I boiled some water. Moved one skein into ginormous metal bowl, where I poured about 2 cups of had-just-been-boiling water which I had mixed with dye over the skein and squished it around. Added another skein on top and repeated until all skeins were in the bowl.

Transferred yarn back to crock pot and turned it on high for 3.5 hours. Drained yarn and let cool in crockpot and then transferred to colander. After a few hours, I rinsed the yarn in cool water with a bit of mild soap, spun it dry in the best salad spinner ever (seriously, if you dye yarn or block a lot of your knitting, I think this would be seriously worth the investment) and it is now drying on a towel on my counter and hanging from my pot rack. My kitchen smells like a wet sheep. :-)

Friday, November 16, 2007

I have been experiencing no end to the technical difficulties in my life recently so alas my blog is one area which has been sorely neglected. But! I wanted to share with you (quickly...before my computer dies [again]) where part of my afternoon today went / is going:

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